Chapter One: Rhombulus' Crystal Goop
"Don't worry, Star! I'm right behind-"
"Hey."
Marco's lackluster battle cry was cut short as he came face to face with the familiar sight of a pale face crowned by a set of jagged horns; a sight he was pretty sure hadn't been there just a moment before.
"Wait, what are you doing here!?"
"Checking up on you." Hekapoo said. "It was about time Rhobmulus let you out."
"Rhombulus?"
"Oh come on, you remember Rhombulus, don't you?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Big square head? Talks to his hands? Timeout guy-"
"Of course I know who Rhombulus is!" Marco exclaimed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That's not the point. What does he have to do with anything anyways?"
"See for yourself." Hekapoo said, shrugging off his frenzied state.
She gestured to the ground, drawing attention to the melting remnants of a large blue crystal as it pooled into a puddle of transparent liquid beneath his feet.
"Aw, come on!" he groaned, shuddering as he inspected the substance adhering to the soles of his sneakers. "Please tell me I wasn't inside of that."
"You weren't inside of that."
"…You're lying to me, aren't you?"
"Hey, I'm just following orders." she said, smirking as she feigned a salute.
"Does this stuff stain!?"
"How would I know?"
"I swear, this gunk better not mess up my-"
"Dude, I think you have bigger things to worry about than Rhombulus' crystal goop."
"What could possibly be worse than… Star!"
"At least you've still got your priorities in order."
"Where is she!?"
"Rhombulus went to unfreeze her."
"That doesn't answer the question!"
"Relax! We can start making our way over to them right now."
"What's going on!? She was right in front of me just a second ago!"
"Don't get hung up over that. Trust me, it's only going to get weirder from here." Hekapoo said, leaving him to sputter in a state of dumbfoundedness.
She unsheathed a pair of scissors from the folds of her dress, pointing the tip of the blades out in front of her before tearing a hole into the invisible fabric of reality, directing them with all the precision of a veteran heart surgeon. As she took a step back from her physics-defying incision, a vortex of bright orange flames spewed forth and materialized as a swirling mass of fiery tendrils.
"Well, are you coming or what?" she asked, loitering just in front of the newly-created portal.
"Hold on a second, where exactly are we going?"
"You wanted to see Star, didn't you?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Then let's go."
"Don't I get some sort of explanation first!?"
"We can walk and talk."
"Fine, just give me a moment to think."
"Alright, but don't take sixteen years this time, we don't have that kind of time to spare."
And with that, Hekapoo disappeared through the portal, swiftly enveloped by a curtain of flames before disappearing from sight entirely.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed!